Ceramic film and method of manufacturing the same, ferroelectric capacitor, semiconductor device, and other element

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a ceramic film includes forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquid which includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw material liquid. The first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquid are different types of liquids, the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing a ferroelectric, the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing an oxide such as an ABO-type oxide, a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and a solvent included in the second raw material liquid have different polarities, and the ceramic film is formed in a state in which the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquid are phase separated so that first crystals formed of the first raw material liquid are intermittently formed in a surface direction of the ceramic film and second crystals formed of the second raw material liquid are formed so as to interpose between the first crystals.

This is a Divison of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/166,781 filedJun. 12, 2002. The entire disclosure of the prior application is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The invention claimspriority to Japanese patent applications Nos. JP 2001-178840 filed onJun. 13, 2001, JP 2001-193048 filed Jun. 26, 2001 and JP 2002-086139filed Mar. 26, 2002. The entire disclosures of the prior applicationsare hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a ceramic film and a method ofmanufacturing the same, a ferroelectric capacitor, a semiconductordevice, and other elements.

As a ferroelectric film applied to semiconductor devices (ferroelectricmemory (FeRAM), for example), ferroelectric films having a layeredperovskite structure (BiLaTiO-based, BiTiO-based, and SrBiTaO-basedferroelectric films, for example) have been proposed. The ferroelectricfilm having a layered perovskite structure is generally formed bycrystal growth from an amorphous state.

In the case of forming a ferroelectric film having a layered perovskitestructure by using this formation method, the crystal growth rate in thec-axis direction becomes lower than that in the a-axis direction and theb-axis direction due to the crystal structure of the ferroelectric film.Specifically, crystals tend to be grown in the a-axis direction and theb-axis direction. Therefore, a ferroelectric film having a layeredperovskite structure formed by using the above method has rough surfacemorphology. Specifically, openings (holes or grooves, for example) areformed between crystals in the resulting ferroelectric film.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may provide a method of manufacturing a ceramicfilm capable of improving the surface morphology of the ceramic film.

The present invention may also provide a ceramic film obtained by themethod of manufacturing a ceramic film of the present invention.

The present invention may further provide a semiconductor device and apiezoelectric device to which the ceramic film of the present inventionis applied.

In a ceramic film according to one aspect of the present invention,first crystals are intermittently formed in a surface direction of theceramic film, and second crystals are interposed between the firstcrystals.

A ferroelectric capacitor according one aspect to the present inventioncomprises:

a lower electrode, a ceramic film which is formed on the lower electrodeand includes first crystals and second crystals, and an upper electrodeformed on the ceramic film,

wherein the first crystals are intermittently formed in a surfacedirection of the ceramic film, and the second crystals are formed so asto interpose between the first crystals.

A method of manufacturing a ceramic film according one aspect to thepresent invention comprises:

forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric,

wherein the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide, and

wherein the ceramic film is formed in a state in which the first rawmaterial liquid and the second raw material liquid are phase separatedso that first crystals formed of the first raw material liquid areintermittently formed in a surface direction of the ceramic film, andsecond crystals formed of the second raw material liquid are formed soas to interpose between the first crystals.

The state in which the first raw material liquid and the second rawmaterial liquid are phase separated is obtained by the followingtechniques.

(1) In the case where the phase separated state occurs in a liquid stateafter mixing due to differences in polarity, molecular weight, and thelike between the first raw material liquid and the second raw materialliquid, the phase separated state is obtained by depositing the mixedliquid by spin coating, dipping, an LSMCD method, or the like. Inparticular, the phase separated state is significantly easily obtainedwhen the percentage of the second raw material liquid is greater thanthat of the first raw material liquid.

(2) In the case of using raw material liquids which are not phaseseparated in a mixed state, the phase separated state can be obtained byseparately misting the first raw material liquid and the second rawmaterial liquid, and supplying the mist of the first raw material liquidand the mist of the second raw material liquid at the same time by usingthe LSMCD method.

(3) The phase separated state can be obtained by depositing one of thefirst raw material liquid and the second raw material liquid by using adeposition method which enables the raw material liquid to be grown inthe shape of islands, and depositing the other raw material liquid so asto interpose between the islands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIGS. 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views schematically showingmanufacturing steps of a ceramic film using a ceramic raw materialliquid according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a ferroelectricmemory device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an apparatus forforming a raw material body on a base by using an LSMCD method.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are conceptual views schematically showing a rawmaterial body obtained by using the apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are conceptual views schematically showing manufacturingsteps of a first multilayer ceramic film.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are conceptual views schematically showing manufacturingsteps of a second multilayer ceramic film.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are conceptual views schematically showing manufacturingsteps of a third multilayer ceramic film.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are conceptual views schematically showing manufacturingsteps of a fourth multilayer ceramic film.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a deposition process.

FIG. 10 is a micrograph of a ferroelectric film obtained from a mixedliquid of a main liquid and a secondary liquid according to Example 1.

FIG. 11 is a micrograph of a ferroelectric film according to acomparative example.

FIG. 12 is a plan view schematically showing a manufacturing step of aceramic film according to an embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a ceramic filmaccording to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Method of Manufacturing Ceramic Film

The meaning of the term “the first raw material liquid and the secondraw material liquid are different types of liquids” in the presentinvention is described below.

(A) A first method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a raw material body,

wherein the raw material body includes different types of raw materialsin a mixed state, and

wherein the different types of raw materials differ from one another inat least one of a crystal growth condition and a crystal growthmechanism in the crystallization of the raw materials.

The different types of raw materials differ from one another in at leastone of the crystal growth condition and the crystal growth mechanism.Specifically, the raw materials are judged to be different dependingupon whether or not the raw materials differ from one another in atleast one of the crystal growth condition and the crystal growthmechanism.

As examples of the crystal growth condition and the crystal growthmechanism in the crystallization of the raw materials, a crystallizationtemperature, crystal nucleus formation temperature, crystal growthtemperature, crystal growth rate, crystal nucleus formation rate, sizeof crystal nuclei, crystallization method, and the like can be given.

In the present invention, the raw material body includes the differenttypes of raw materials. Specifically, the raw material body includes atleast two types of raw materials. The different types of raw materialsdiffer from one another in at least one of the crystal growth conditionand the crystal growth mechanism in the crystallization of the rawmaterials. Therefore, one of the raw materials can be crystallizedbefore the other raw material, and the other raw material can becrystallized in openings between crystals produced from the firstcrystallized raw material by controlling various conditions, forexample. Specifically, the openings between crystals produced from oneof the raw materials can be filled with crystals produced from the otherraw material. Therefore, surface morphology of the ceramic film can beimproved.

The different types of raw materials may be crystallized at the sametime by controlling various conditions. For example, the crystallizationtemperature can be adjusted by replacing a metal element of the rawmaterial with another element. This enables the crystallizationtemperatures of the different types of raw materials to be approximatelythe same. The different types of raw materials can be crystallized atthe same time if the crystallization temperatures of the different typesof raw materials are approximately the same.

(B) A second method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a raw material body,

wherein the raw material body includes different types of raw materialsin a mixed state, and

wherein the different types of raw materials differ from one another ina crystal structure of crystals obtained from the raw materials.

The different types of raw materials differ from one another in thecrystal structure of crystals obtained from the raw materials.Specifically, the raw materials are judged to be different when the rawmaterials differ from one another in the crystal structure of crystalsobtained from the raw materials.

When crystals obtained from the raw materials are expressed as(Bi₂O₂)²⁺(A_(m−)B_(m)O_(3m+1))²⁻, crystals having different crystalstructures have different values for m, for example.

In the present invention, the different types of raw materials differfrom one another in the crystal structure of crystals obtained from theraw materials. If the raw materials differ from one another in thecrystal structure of crystals obtained from the raw materials, the rawmaterials differ from one another in the crystal growth condition andthe crystal growth mechanism of the raw materials. Therefore, effectsthe same as in the first method of manufacturing a ceramic film of thepresent invention can be obtained.

(C) A third method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a raw material body,

wherein the raw material body includes different types of raw materialsin a mixed state, and

wherein the different types of raw materials are individuallycrystallized at least at an initial stage of crystallization.

The different types of raw materials are individually crystallized atleast at an initial stage of crystallization.

In the third method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention, the different types of raw materials are individuallycrystallized at least at an initial stage of crystallization. Therefore,crystals produced from one of the raw materials can be grown in theopenings between crystals produced from the other raw material. As aresult, formation of the openings between the crystals can be prevented,whereby the surface morphology is improved.

The first to third methods of manufacturing a ceramic film of thepresent invention may have at least any of the following features.

(a) The ceramic film may be a ferroelectric.

(b) The ceramic film may be a paraelectric.

(c) The ceramic film may include a ferroelectric and a paraelectric in amixed state.

(d) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in crystallization temperature in the crystallization of theraw materials.

(e) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in crystal nucleus formation temperature in thecrystallization of the raw materials.

(f) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in crystal growth temperature in the crystallization of theraw materials.

(g) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in crystal growth rate in the crystallization of the rawmaterials.

(h) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in crystal nucleus formation rate in the crystallization ofthe raw materials.

(i) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in the size of crystal nuclei in the crystallization of theraw materials.

(j) At least two of the different types of raw materials may differ fromeach other in crystallization method in the crystallization of the rawmaterials.

(k) There may be a time lag between the crystallization of the differenttypes of raw materials.

(1) There maybe a time lag between the formation of crystal nuclei inthe crystallization of the raw materials.

(m) The different types of raw materials may be crystallized at the sametime.

When crystallizing the different types of raw materials at the sametime, crystals produced from one of the raw materials interrupt thegrowth of crystals produced from the other raw material. As a result,the resulting crystals can be microcrystallized. This causes theopenings between the crystals to become narrow, whereby the surfacemorphology is improved.

When crystallizing the different types of raw materials at the sametime, it is preferable to use raw materials from which ceramics havingdifferent crystal structures are obtained. This enables the crystalgrowth condition and the crystal growth mechanism during crystallizationof the raw materials to be changed at the same time.

(n) When ceramics obtained from the raw materials are expressed as(Bi₂O₂)²⁺(A_(m−),B_(m)O_(3m+1))²⁻, the different types of raw materialsmay have different values for m.

(o) The raw material body may be formed on a base by the liquid sourcemisted chemical deposition (LSMCD) method.

In the case of forming the raw material body on the base by using theLSMCD method, the raw material body is provided to the base in the formof a mist by ultrasonic waves.

The raw material body may be formed on a base by separately providingthe different types of raw materials.

The raw material body may be formed on a base by providing the differenttypes of raw materials at the same time.

(p) The raw material body may be formed on a base by spin coating ordipping.

(q) The raw materials may be at least one of a sol-gel raw material andan MOD raw material.

(r) The raw material body may include a sol-gel raw material and an MODraw material.

In the above (p) and (q), the sol-gel raw material may be polycondensedby hydrolysis.

The sol-gel raw material may have a crystal structure similar to thecrystal structure of crystals obtained by crystallizing the rawmaterial. This enables the sol-gel raw material to be easilycrystallized.

The MOD raw material may be a polynuclear complex raw material.

(s) The raw material body may include different types of sol-gel rawmaterials, wherein the different types of sol-gel raw materials maydiffer from one another in the degree of polycondensation or metalelement composition.

(D) A fourth method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a raw material body,

wherein the raw material body is crystallized so that a plurality ofphases is formed.

The ceramic film may have any of the following features.

(a) The ceramic film may be a ferroelectric.

(b) The ceramic film may be a paraelectric.

(c) The ceramic film may include a ferroelectric and a paraelectric in amixed state.

(E) A fifth method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric having a Bi-type layered perovskite structure,and

wherein the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide in which Bi is provided in the A site.

A ferroelectric film having predetermined characteristics at a lowtemperature can be formed by forming a ceramic film using the ceramicraw material liquid of the present invention. A ceramic film obtained byusing the ceramic raw material liquid of the present invention excels insurface morphology.

The molar ratio of the ferroelectric produced from the first rawmaterial liquid to the ABO-type oxide produced from the second rawmaterial liquid is preferably from 100:20 to 100:100. This enables aferroelectric film having predetermined characteristics to be formed ata lower temperature more reliably.

(F) A sixth method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a third raw material liquid and a fourth raw materialliquid,

wherein the third raw material liquid and the fourth raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the third raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a PZT-type ferroelectric, and

wherein the fourth raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide in which Pb is provided in the A site.

Effects the same as in the fifth method of manufacturing a ceramic filmof the present invention can be obtained by forming a ceramic film usingthe ceramic raw material liquid of the present invention, for example.

The molar ratio of the ferroelectric produced from -the third rawmaterial liquid to the ABO-type oxide produced from the fourth rawmaterial liquid is preferably from 100:20 to 100:100. This enables aferroelectric film having predetermined characteristics to be formed ata lower temperature more reliably.

The third raw material liquid may be a liquid in which a metal compoundor a metal-inorganic compound of a metal element for the ferroelectricis dissolved in a solvent, and the fourth raw material liquid may be aliquid in which a metal compound or a metal-inorganic compound of ametal element for the ABO-type oxide is dissolved in a solvent.

(G) A seventh method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a fifth raw material liquid and a sixth raw materialliquid,

wherein the fifth raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric having a Bi-type layered perovskite structureor a PZT-type ferroelectric, and

wherein the sixth raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide in which Ge or Si is provided in the B site.

Effects the same as in the fifth method of manufacturing a ceramic filmof the present invention can be obtained by forming a ceramic film usingthe ceramic raw material liquid of the present invention, for example.

The molar ratio of the ferroelectric produced from the fifth rawmaterial liquid to the ABO-type oxide produced from the sixth rawmaterial liquid is preferably from 100:20 to 100:100. This enables aferroelectric film having predetermined characteristics to be formed ata lower temperature more reliably.

(H) An eighth method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a raw material body layer in which a plurality of raw materiallayers is layered, and

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing the raw material body layer,

wherein an uppermost raw material layer in the raw material body layerhas a crystallization temperature lower than the crystallizationtemperature of a lower raw material layer which is in contact with theuppermost raw material layer.

According to the present invention, crystals produced from the uppermostraw material layer function as a seed layer during crystallization ofthe lower raw material layer.

The lower raw material layer which is in contact with the uppermost rawmaterial layer may be formed on a base with a first raw material layerinterposed therebetween, wherein the first raw material layer may have acrystallization temperature lower than the crystallization temperatureof the lower raw material layer which is in contact with the uppermostraw material layer. Therefore, crystals produced from the first rawmaterial layer function as a seed layer during crystallization of thelower raw material layer which is in contact with the uppermost rawmaterial layer.

(I) A ninth method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a raw material body layer which includes a raw material stack inwhich a first raw material layer, a second raw material layer, and athird raw material layer are sequentially layered, and

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing the raw material body layer,

wherein the second raw material layer has a crystallization temperaturelower than the crystallization temperatures of the first raw materiallayer and the third raw material layer.

According to the present invention, crystals produced from the secondraw material layer function as a stopper for preventing the growth ofcrystals in the first raw material layer and the third raw materiallayer. Therefore, the grain size of the crystals produced from the firstraw material layer and the third raw material layer can be decreased.

A fourth raw material layer may be further layered on the third rawmaterial layer, wherein the fourth raw material layer may have acrystallization temperature lower than the crystallization temperatureof the third raw material layer. In this case, crystals produced fromthe fourth raw material layer function as a seed layer duringcrystallization of the third raw material layer.

(J) A tenth method of manufacturing a ceramic film of the presentinvention comprises:

forming a raw material body layer in which a plurality of raw materiallayers is layered, and

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing the raw material body layer,

wherein an uppermost raw material layer in the raw material body layerhas a crystallization temperature higher than the crystallizationtemperature of a lower raw material layer which is in contact with theuppermost raw material layer.

According to the present invention, crystals produced from the uppermostraw material layer can be formed to cover crystals produced from thelower raw material layer.

Crystals obtained from the uppermost raw material layer in the rawmaterial body layer preferably have no layered structure. This enablesthe surface morphology of the ceramic film to be improved.

In the first to tenth methods of manufacturing a ceramic film of thepresent invention, the step of forming a ceramic film by crystallizingthe raw material body may be performed two or more times.

Ceramic Film

A ceramic film of the present invention is obtained by the method ofmanufacturing a ceramic film of the present invention.

A ceramic film of the present invention comprises:

a stack in which a first crystal layer and a second crystal layer aresequentially layered,

wherein the second crystal layer has a melting point lower than amelting point of the first crystal layer.

In the present invention, a constituent metal element of the firstcrystal layer and a constituent metal element of the second crystallayer may be mixed in a region around an interface between the firstcrystal layer and the second crystal layer.

In the present invention, the first crystal layer may be formed on abase with a third crystal layer interposed therebetween, and the thirdcrystal layer may have a melting point lower than a melting point of thefirst crystal layer.

A ceramic film of the present invention comprises:

a crystal stack in which a first crystal layer, a second crystal layer,and a third crystal layer are sequentially layered,

wherein the second crystal layer has a melting point lower than meltingpoints of the first crystal layer and the third crystal layer.

In the present invention, a constituent metal element of the firstcrystal layer and a constituent metal element of the second crystallayer may be mixed in a region around an interface between the firstcrystal layer and the second crystal layer, and a constituent metalelement of the second crystal layer and a constituent metal element ofthe third crystal layer may be mixed in a region around an interfacebetween the second crystal layer and the third crystal layer.

In the present invention, a fourth crystal layer may be further providedon the third crystal layer, the fourth crystal layer may have a meltingpoint lower than a melting point of the third crystal layer, and aconstituent metal element of the third crystal layer and a constituentmetal element of the fourth crystal layer may be mixed in a regionaround an interface between the third crystal layer and the fourthcrystal layer.

A ceramic film of the present invention comprises:

a stack in which a first crystal layer and a second crystal layer aresequentially layered,

wherein the second crystal layer has a melting point higher than amelting point of the first crystal layer.

In the present invention, a constituent metal element of the firstcrystal layer and a constituent metal element of the second crystallayer may be mixed in a region around an interface between the firstcrystal layer and the second crystal layer.

Application Example of Ceramic Film

A semiconductor device of the present invention comprises a capacitorincluding the ceramic film of the present invention.

The ceramic film of the present invention may be applied to varioustypes of devices, other than a semiconductor device, such as apiezoelectric of a piezoelectric device.

The present invention may further provide a ferroelectric capacitor anda method of manufacturing a ceramic film given below.

A ferroelectric capacitor of the present invention comprises:

a lower electrode, a ceramic film which is formed on the lower electrodeand includes first crystals and second crystals, and an upper electrodeformed on the ceramic film,

wherein the first crystals have a Bi-based layered perovskite structure,

wherein the second crystals are ABO-type oxides in which Bi is providedin an A site, and

wherein the first crystals are intermittently formed in a surfacedirection of the ceramic film, and the second crystals are formed so asto interpose between the first crystals.

The ceramic film which makes up this ferroelectric capacitor may beformed by a first method given below.

The first method comprises:

forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskitestructure, and the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquidfor producing an ABO-type oxide in which Bi is provided in an A site,

wherein a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and asolvent included in the second raw material liquid have differentpolarities, and

wherein the ceramic film is formed in a state in which the first rawmaterial liquid and the second raw material liquid are phase separatedso that first crystals formed of the first raw material liquid areintermittently formed in a surface direction of the ceramic film, andsecond crystals formed of the second raw material liquid are formed soas to interpose between the first crystals.

The ceramic film which makes up the ferroelectric capacitor may beformed by a second method given below.

The second method comprises:

forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskitestructure, and the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquidfor producing an ABO-type oxide in which Bi is provided in an A site,

wherein a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and asolvent included in the second raw material liquid have differentpolarities, and

wherein a mist produced from the first raw material liquid is formed soas to be dispersed on a base and then a film of the second raw materialliquid is formed on the base so that first crystals formed of the firstraw material liquid are intermittently formed in a surface direction ofthe ceramic film, and second crystals formed of the second raw materialliquid are formed so as to interpose between the first crystals.

In the second method, as the method of forming the film of the secondraw material liquid on the base on which the mist of the first rawmaterial liquid is dispersed, a method of forming the film of the secondraw material liquid by misting the second raw material liquid, or amethod of forming the film of the second raw material liquid by spincoating may be used. These methods also apply to a second methoddescribed later. The phase separation effect is increased if the film ofthe first raw material liquid is formed in the shape of islands.

The first and second methods may have the following features. Thesefeatures also apply to first and second methods described later.

(a) One of the solvents included in the first raw material liquid andthe second raw material liquid may be soluble in water, and the other ofthe solvents may be insoluble in water.

(b) The molar ratio of the ferroelectric produced from the first rawmaterial liquid to the ABO-type oxide produced from the second rawmaterial liquid may be from 100:20 to 100:100.

A ferroelectric capacitor of the present invention comprises:

a lower electrode, a ceramic film which is formed on the lower electrodeand includes first crystals and second crystals, and an upper electrodeformed on the ceramic film,

wherein the first crystals have a PZT-type perovskite structure,

wherein the second crystals are ABO-type oxides in which Pb is providedin an A site, and

wherein the first crystals are intermittently formed in a surfacedirection of the ceramic film, and the second crystals are formed so asto interpose between the first crystals.

The ceramic which makes up this ferroelectric capacitor may be formed bya method similar to the above first and second methods.

Specifically, a first method comprises:

forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a PZT-type ferroelectric,

wherein the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide in which Pb is provided in an A site,

wherein a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and asolvent included in the second raw material liquid have differentpolarities, and

wherein the ceramic film is formed in a state in which the first rawmaterial liquid and the second raw material liquid are phase separatedso that first crystals formed of the first raw material liquid areintermittently formed in a surface direction of the ceramic film, andsecond crystals formed of the second raw material liquid are formed soas to interpose between the first crystals.

A second method comprises:

forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a PZT-type ferroelectric,

wherein the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide in which Pb is provided in an A site,

wherein a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and asolvent included in the second raw material liquid have differentpolarities, and

wherein a mist produced from the first raw material liquid is formed soas to be dispersed on a base and then a film of the second raw materialliquid is formed on the base so that first crystals formed of the firstraw material liquid are intermittently formed in a surface direction ofthe ceramic film, and second crystals formed of the second raw materialliquid are formed so as to interpose between the first crystals.

In the second method, as the method of forming the film of the secondraw material liquid on the base on which the mist of the first rawmaterial liquid is dispersed, a method of forming the film of the secondraw material liquid by misting the second raw material liquid, or amethod of forming the film of the second raw material liquid by spincoating may be used. The phase separation effect is increased if thefilm of the first raw material liquid is formed in the shape of islands.

The above first and second methods may have the following features.

(a) One of the solvents included in the first raw material liquid andthe second raw material liquid may be soluble in water, and the other ofthe solvents may be insoluble in water.

(b) The molar ratio of the ferroelectric produced from the first rawmaterial liquid to the ABO-type oxide produced from the second rawmaterial liquid may be from 100:20 to 100:100.

A ferroelectric capacitor of the present invention comprises:

a lower electrode, a ceramic film which is formed on the lower electrodeand includes first crystals and second crystals, and an upper electrodeformed on the ceramic film,

wherein the first crystals are intermittently formed in a surfacedirection of the ceramic film, and the second crystals are formed so asto interpose between the first crystals.

A first method for forming the ceramic film which makes up thisferroelectric capacitor comprises:

forming the ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric,

wherein the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide,

wherein a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and asolvent included in the second raw material liquid have differentpolarities, and

wherein the ceramic film is formed in a state in which the first rawmaterial liquid and the second raw material liquid are phase separatedso that first crystals formed of the first raw material liquid areintermittently formed in a surface direction of the ceramic film, andsecond crystals formed of the second raw material liquid are formed soas to interpose between the first crystals.

A second method for forming the ceramic film which makes up theferroelectric capacitor comprises:

forming a ceramic film by crystallizing a ceramic raw material liquidwhich includes a first raw material liquid and a second raw materialliquid,

wherein the first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquidare different types of liquids,

wherein the first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing a ferroelectric,

wherein the second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid forproducing an ABO-type oxide,

wherein a solvent included in the first raw material liquid and asolvent included in the second raw material liquid have differentpolarities, and

wherein a mist produced from the first raw material liquid is formed soas to be dispersed on a base and then a film of the second raw materialliquid is formed on the base so that first crystals formed of the firstraw material liquid are intermittently formed in a surface direction ofthe ceramic film, and second crystals formed of the second raw materialliquid are formed so as to interpose between the first crystals.

There are no specific limitations to the first raw material liquid andthe second raw material liquid insofar as the liquids have the aboveconfiguration, and various types of combinations are possible.Specifically, these manufacturing methods may be applied not only to thecase of the ferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskite structureor a PZT-type perovskite structure, but also to the case where the firstraw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing aferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskite structure or aPZT-type ferroelectric, and the second raw material liquid is a rawmaterial liquid for producing an ABO-type oxide in which Ge, Si, or Sn,or combination of these is provided in the B site.

According to the first and second methods, first crystals produced fromthe first or third raw material liquid are intermittently formed, andsecond crystals produced from the second or fourth raw material liquidare formed so as to interpose between the first crystals. As a result,the second crystals (paraelectric, for example) are disposed to surroundthe first crystals (ferroelectric, for example). In such a structure,occurrence of domains in the direction at an angle of 90° with respectto the direction of the thickness of the ferroelectric film of theferroelectric capacitor consisting of the upper and lower electrodes andthe ferroelectric (generally called 90° domains) can be prevented. As aresult, squareness of the hysteresis characteristics of theferroelectric capacitor can be improved.

The above-described first and second methods may be applied not only tothe case of forming a ceramic film of a ferroelectric capacitor but alsoto the case of forming a ceramic film used for other applications.

Embodiments of the present invention are described below in more detailwith reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

Method of Manufacturing Ceramic Film

A method of manufacturing a ceramic film according to the presentembodiment is described below. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional viewschematically showing manufacturing steps of a ceramic film according tothe present embodiment. FIG. 1B is a conceptual view showing a conceptof a crystallization mechanism.

(1) As shown in FIG. 1A, a raw material body 20 is formed on a base 10.As a method for forming the raw material body 20 on the base 10, acoating method, an LSMCD method, and the like can be given. As examplesof the coating method, spin coating and dipping can be given. The rawmaterial body 20 includes a sol-gel raw material and an MOD rawmaterial. As the sol-gel raw material, a raw material having acrystallization temperature lower than that of the MOD raw material anda crystal nucleus formation rate and a crystal growth rate higher thanthose of the MOD raw material is selected.

The sol-gel raw material may be prepared as described below. Metalalkoxides having four or less carbon atoms are mixed and subjected tohydrolysis and polycondensation. A strong M-O-M-O . . . bond is formedby hydrolysis and polycondensation. The resulting M-O-M bond has astructure similar to the crystal structure of a ceramic (perovskitestructure). M represents a metal element (Bi, Ti, La, Pb, for example),and O represents oxygen. Metal elements and the ratio of the metalelements are appropriately determined depending on a desired ceramic.Taking a BiLaTiO-based (hereinafter called “BLT”) ceramic as an example,the ratio is expressed as Bi_(3.25)La_(0.75)Ti₃O_(X). The value X for Ois not a final value. A solvent is added to the product obtained byhydrolysis and polycondensation to obtain a raw material. The sol-gelraw material is prepared in this manner.

As examples of the MOD raw material, a polynuclear metal complex rawmaterial in which constituent elements for a ceramic are continuouslyconnected to each other either directly or indirectly can be given. Asexamples of the MOD raw material, metal salts of carboxylic acids can begiven. As examples of carboxylic acids, acetic acid, 2-ethylhexanoicacid, and the like can be given. As examples of metals, Bi, Ti, La, andPb can be given. The MOD raw material (polynuclear metal complex rawmaterial) has an M-O bond in the same manner as in the sol-gel rawmaterial. However, the M-O bond is not a continuous bond as in the caseof the sol-gel raw material obtained by polycondensation. The bondstructure of the M-O bond is similar to a linear structure, andcompletely differs from the perovskite structure.

The raw material body 20 is optionally dried.

(2) The raw material body 20 is crystallized by subjecting the rawmaterial body 20 to a thermal treatment, thereby forming a ceramic film30 as shown in FIG. 1C. The raw material body 20 is crystallized underconditions whereby the sol-gel raw material and the MOD raw material areindividually crystallized at least at an initial stage of the crystalgrowth so that first crystals 42 are produced from the sol-gel rawmaterial and second crystals 52 are produced from the MOD raw material.

An example of the crystallization mechanism of the sol-gel raw materialand the MOD raw material is described below. The sol-gel raw materialhas a crystallization temperature lower than that of the MOD rawmaterial. The crystal nucleus formation rate and the crystal growth rateof the sol-gel raw material are higher than those of the MOD rawmaterial. Therefore, the sol-gel raw material can be crystallized beforethe MOD raw material by controlling the temperature and the like. Sincethe sol-gel raw material is crystallized before the MOD raw material,the MOD raw material remains in the openings between the first crystals42 produced from the sol-gel raw material, as shown in FIG. 1B.Therefore, the second crystals 52 produced from the MOD raw material aregrown in the openings between the first crystals 42 produced from thesol-gel raw material. The first crystals 42 and the second crystals 52are individually grown in this manner. Specifically, the second crystals52 are grown so that the openings between the first crystals 42 arefilled with the second crystals 52. Moreover, the sol-gel raw materialand the MOD raw material differ from each other in a direction in whichthe crystals tend to be oriented. Therefore, the first crystals 42 andthe second crystals 52 interrupt the growth of the other, whereby thecrystals are easily microcrystallized. If the crystals aremicrocrystallized, openings between the crystals are reduced. As aresult, the ceramic film 30 with improved surface morphology can beformed.

Specific crystallization conditions for the raw material body aredescribed below.

As the thermal treatment method, a method of annealing the raw materialbody by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and furnace annealing (FA) in anoxygen atmosphere can be given.

More specific crystallization conditions for the raw material body aredescribed below. The raw material body is annealed at a temperature of500 to 650° C. for a short period of time (5 to 30 seconds) by RTA,whereby microcrystal nuclei are produced. At this time, crystal nucleiare first produced from the sol-gel raw material. During the growth ofthe crystals produced from the sol-gel raw material, crystal nucleiproduced from the MOD raw material are grown around the crystalsproduced from the sol-gel raw material. Crystallization is promoted byFA at 600 to 650° C. for 10 to 30 minutes to obtain the ceramic film 30.

Modification

The following modifications are applicable to the method ofmanufacturing a ceramic film according to the above embodiment.

(1) The combination of the raw materials is not limited to the aboveembodiment. For example, combinations given below may be employed.

1) A plurality of sol-gel raw materials with different degrees ofpolycondensation may be used in combination. If the degrees ofpolycondensation differ, directions in which the crystal growth tends toproceed generally differ even if the compositions are the same.Therefore, if the raw materials with different degrees ofpolycondensation are mixed, the raw materials interrupt the crystalgrowth of the other since the directions in which the crystal growthtends to proceed differ. As a result, the crystals aremicrocrystallized.

2) Raw materials having compositions for different crystal structuresmay be used in combination. For example, raw materials which have thefollowing relation may be used.

When ceramics obtained from the raw materials are expressed as(Bi₂O₂)²⁺(A_(m−1)B_(m)O_(3m+1))²⁻, raw materials having different valuesfor m may be used. As an example of compounds in which m=1, Bi₂WO₆ canbe given. As an example of compounds in which m=2, Bi₃TiNbO₉ can begiven. As an example of compounds in which m=3, Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ can be given.These compounds are all ferroelectrics, but have different crystalstructures. Specifically, although there are small differences in lengthin the a-axis direction and the b-axis direction, the length in thec-axis direction is 16.4 angstroms (1.64 nm) when m=1, 25.0 angstroms(2.50 nm) when m=2, and 32.8 angstroms (3.28 nm) when m=3. Since thesecompounds have different crystal structures, the raw materials whichproduce these crystals differ from one another in the crystal growthcondition and the crystal growth mechanism.

In the case of using raw materials having compositions for differentcrystal structures, it is preferable that an element in the B site becommon between the different raw materials for the following reasons.Specifically, even if the different raw materials are individuallycrystallized by allowing the crystal growth condition and the crystalgrowth mechanism to be different, interdiffusion occurs to a largeextent near the crystal grain boundary during the subsequent longannealing step. In this case, if an element in the B site is replaced,characteristics of the ceramics tend to deteriorate.

3) A raw material which produces crystals having the crystal structureBi₄Ti₃O₉ (hereinafter called “BTO raw material”) and a raw materialwhich produces crystals having the crystal structure PbTiO₃ (hereinaftercalled “PTO raw material”) may be used in combination. PbTiO₃ is aperovskite having a tetragonal structure. However, since PTO has a smalldifference in length between the a-axis and the c-axis, PTO has a smalldegree of crystal growth anisotropy caused by the crystal structure.Moreover, crystal nuclei are easily produced from the PTO raw materialat a comparatively low temperature. Therefore, in the case of mixing theBTO raw material with the PTO raw material at a lower ratio (about 10:1,for example) and allowing the crystals to be grown, these materialsinterrupt the crystal growth of the other. This causes the resultingcrystals to be microcrystallized. This effect is more significant thanin the case of crystals having the same layered perovskite structure.

4) A raw material which produces ferroelectric crystals and a rawmaterial which produces paraelectric crystals may be used incombination. The amount of raw materials to be mixed is determineddepending on the characteristics of the desired ceramic film.

5) A sol-gel raw material and an MOD raw material may be used incombination so that crystals having different crystal structures areproduced from the raw materials.

6) Sol-gel raw materials with different degrees of polycondensation maybe used in combination so that crystals having different crystalstructures are produced from the raw materials.

(2) A ceramic film may be formed by repeatedly performing the method ofmanufacturing a ceramic film according to the present invention two ormore times. A ceramic film may be formed by combining the method ofmanufacturing a ceramic -film according to the present invention and aconventional method of manufacturing a ceramic film.

(3) As a method for forming the raw material body on the base by usingthe LSMCD method, the following method can be given. FIG. 3 is across-sectional view schematically showing an apparatus 200 for formingthe raw material body on the base by using the LSMCD method.

A first raw material 210 is sent to a mesh 240 through an atomizer 230.The first raw material 210 passing through the mesh 240 forms a mist 250and is supplied to the base 10. A second raw material 220 is sent to themesh 240 through an atomizer 232. The second raw material 220 passingthrough the mesh 240 forms the mist 250 and is supplied to the base 10.A raw material body is formed by allowing the mist 250 to be repeatedlydeposited on the base 10. The diameter of droplets of the mist 250 is 10to 200 nm, for example.

The first raw material 210 and the second raw material 220 may besupplied to the base 10 at the same time. The first raw material 210 andthe second raw material 220 may be supplied alternately.

In the case of supplying the first raw material 210 and the second rawmaterial 220 to the base 10 at the same time, the resulting raw materialbody has a structure in which first mist droplets 210 a produced fromthe first raw material 210 and second mist droplets 220 a produced fromthe second raw material 220 are mixed as shown in FIG. 4A, for example.

In the case of alternately supplying the first raw material 210 and thesecond raw material 220, the resulting raw material body has a structurein which each of the first mist droplets 210 a produced from the firstraw material 210 and the second mist droplets 220 a produced from thesecond raw material 220 makes up one layer, as shown in FIG. 4B, forexample. In other words, each layer is formed by the mist dropletsproduced from the same raw material.

In the case of alternately supplying the first raw material liquid 210and the second raw material liquid 220, different crystal structures canbe formed in a single layer from the mist droplets produced fromdifferent raw materials by using the following method.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, after supplying the first mist droplets 210a produced from the first raw material liquid 210 to the base 10 so asto be dispersed on the base 10, the first mist droplets 210 a are heatedso that a solvent contained in the first mist droplets 210 a isevaporated. The first mist droplets 210 a are dispersed on the base 10at this stage.

The second mist droplets 220 a can be interposed between the first mistdroplets 210 a by supplying the second mist droplets 220 a produced fromthe second raw material liquid 220 in this state.

The first mist droplets 210 a and the second mist droplets 220 a arecrystallized by a thermal treatment to form the ceramic film 30. Asshown in FIG. 13, the ceramic film 30 consists of first crystals 42produced from the first mist droplets 210 a and second crystals 52produced from the second mist droplets 220 a. This enables a ceramicfilm in which at least first crystal phases are intermittently providedin the surface direction of the ceramic film to be easily obtained.

The second raw material liquid may be interposed between the first mistdroplets 210 a by applying the second raw material liquid by spincoating in a state in which the first mist droplets 210 a are dispersedon the base 10 instead of forming the second mist droplets 220 a. Thismethod also enables a ceramic film in which at least first crystalphases are intermittently provided in the surface direction of theceramic film to be easily obtained.

(4) In the case of using the combination of the raw materials describedin the first embodiment or any of the combinations 1) to 6) of the rawmaterials described in the modification of the first embodiment,solvents in which the raw materials are dissolved may have differentpolarities. In this case, since the raw materials are easily phaseseparated, crystals produced from the different raw materials are easilyintermittently formed in the surface direction of the ceramic film.

For example, one of the solvents may be soluble in water, and the othersolvent may be insoluble in water. As a solvent soluble in water,acetate, nitrate, and the like can be given. As a solvent insoluble inwater, butanol and the like can be given.

Second Embodiment

First Ceramic Raw Material Liquid

A first ceramic raw material liquid is used by mixing a first rawmaterial liquid and a second raw material liquid. The first ceramic rawmaterial liquid may be a raw material liquid from which a ceramic filmis obtained by pyrolysis. The first raw material liquid and the secondraw material liquid produce different types of materials. The first andsecond raw material liquids may be: 1) a liquid in which a metal organiccompound (metal alkoxide, metal carboxylate, for example) or a metalinorganic compound (metal nitrate, metal chloride, for example) isdissolved in a solvent (water, alcohol, ester, aliphatic hydrocarbon,aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ether, mixture of these, for example); 2)a liquid obtained by subjecting a metal compound to hydrolysis,condensation, and the like in a solvent; or 3) a sol-gel liquid obtainedby hydrolysis of a metal alkoxide.

The first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquid aredescribed below in detail.

The first raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing aferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskite structure. Asexamples of ferroelectrics having a Bi-based layered perovskitestructure, SrBiTaO-based ferroelectrics (SrBi₂Ta₂O₉, for example),BiLaTiO-based ferroelectrics (Bi_(3.25)La_(0.75)Ti₃O₁₂, for example),and BiTiO-based ferroelectrics (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂, for example) can be given.The first raw material liquid contains metal elements which make up aferroelectric. The amount of constituent metal elements for aferroelectric contained in the first raw material liquid is determinedtaking into consideration the amount of a desired ferroelectric and theratio of the number of atoms of constituent metal elements in thedesired ferroelectric.

As examples of the first raw material liquid, in the case ofSrBiTaO-based ferroelectrics, a liquid in which solutions of an alkoxideof strontium, an alkoxide of bismuth, and an alkoxide of tantalum aremixed in 2-methoxyethanol can be given. The concentration of an alkoxideof strontium, an alkoxide of bismuth, and an alkoxide of tantalum in thefirst raw material liquid maybe 0.05 mol/l, 0.1 mol/l, and 1.0 mol/l,respectively. Specifically, the concentration may be set so that 0.05mol of an SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ ferroelectric is produced per liter of the firstraw material liquid.

The second raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing anABO-type oxide in which Bi is provided in the A site. If Bi is notprovided in the A site, an element other than Bi may be positioned atthe site of the Bi-type layered perovskite structure at which Bi shouldbe positioned, whereby the characteristics of the ferroelectric film maybe adversely affected. As examples of the ABO-type oxide in which Bi isprovided in the A site, BiGeO-based oxides (Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂, for example),BiMoO-based oxides (Bi₂MoO₆), BiVO-based oxides (Bi₂VO₆), BiCrO-basedoxides (Bi₂CrO₆), BiSiO-based oxides (Bi₄Si₃O₁₂), and BiWO-based oxides(Bi₄W₃O₁₂) can be given. These oxides may be used individually or incombination of two or more. The crystallization temperature of thecrystals produced from the second raw material liquid can be changed bychanging an element in the B site of the ABO-type oxide. The ABO-typeoxide may be either a ferroelectric or a paraelectric. In the case of aparaelectric, an element in the B site is preferably either Si or Ge.

The second raw material liquid contains metal elements which make up theABO-type oxide. The amount of constituent metal elements for theABO-type oxide contained in the second raw material liquid is determinedtaking into consideration the amount of a desired ABO-type oxide and theratio of the number of atoms of constituent metal elements in thedesired ABO-type oxide.

As examples of the second raw material liquid, in the case of aBiGeO-based oxide, a liquid in which solutions of an alkoxide of bismuthand an alkoxide of germanium are mixed in 2-methoxyethanol can be given.The concentration of an alkoxide of bismuth and an alkoxide of germaniumin the second raw material liquid may be 0.20 mol/l and 0.15 mol/l,respectively. Specifically, the concentration of an alkoxide of bismuthand an alkoxide of germanium may be set so that 0.05 mol of a Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂oxide is produced per liter of the second raw material liquid.

The first raw material liquid and the second raw material liquid arepreferably mixed so that the molar ratio of the ferroelectric producedfrom the first raw material liquid to the ABO-type oxide produced fromthe second raw material liquid is from 100:20 to 100:100. The reasonstherefor are described in the description of examples.

Example of Manufacture of Ceramic Film

A ceramic film can be formed by using the ceramic raw material liquid ofthe present embodiment as described below, for example. Themanufacturing process for a ceramic film is described below withreference to FIG. 1 which is a cross-sectional view schematicallyshowing the manufacturing steps for a ceramic film in the same manner asin the first embodiment.

(a) The base 10 is subjected to a thermal treatment. This thermaltreatment is performed for removing moisture present on the surface ofthe base 10. The thermal treatment temperature is 180° C., for example.

(b) The ceramic raw material liquid is applied to the base 10, therebyforming the ceramic raw material body layer 20. As the formation method,spin coating, dipping, and LSMCD can be given.

(c) A solvent present in the ceramic raw material body layer 20 isevaporated by a dry thermal treatment. The solvent may be evaporated ina nitrogen atmosphere. The temperature of dry thermal treatment is 160°C., for example.

(d) The ceramic raw material body layer 20 is subjected to a pyrolizing.Organic substances present in the ceramic raw material body layer 20 aredecomposed by this thermal treatment. The organic substances may bedecomposed in a nitrogen atmosphere. The thermal treatment temperatureis 260° C., for example.

(e) The ceramic raw material body layer 20 is calcined. Crystal nucleiare formed during the calcining. Calcining may be performed by RTA in anoxygen atmosphere, for example.

(f) The ceramic raw material body layer 20 is sintered. Sintering may beperformed by FA in an oxygen atmosphere, for example.

A cycle consisting of the steps (a) to (e) may be repeated two or moretimes.

Effect

Effects obtained by depositing a ceramic film using the ceramic rawmaterial liquid according to the second embodiment are described below.

(1) In the case of forming a ferroelectric (SBT) film by sintering theceramic raw material liquid consisting only of the first raw materialliquid, desired characteristics (remanent polarization, for example)required for the ferroelectric film cannot be obtained at a sinteringtemperature of less than about 700° C.

However, in the case of forming a ceramic film by sintering the firstceramic raw material liquid in which the first raw material liquid andthe second raw material liquid are mixed, desired characteristicsrequired for the ferroelectric film can be obtained even at a sinteringtemperature of about 500° C. as described later. In other words,according to the present embodiment, a ferroelectric film having desiredcharacteristics can be formed at a lower temperature.

(2) A material produced from the first raw material liquid differs froma material produced from the second raw material liquid. Therefore, acrystallization temperature at which the first raw material liquid iscrystallized differs from a crystallization temperature at which thesecond raw material liquid is crystallized, for example. As a result,one of the raw material liquids can be crystallized prior to the otherraw material liquid. Because of this, the crystals 52 produced from oneof the raw material liquids can be grown between the crystals 42produced from the other raw material liquid, as shown in FIG. 1B.Specifically, the crystals 42 produced from one of the raw materialliquids and the crystals 52 produced from the other raw material liquidare individually grown so that the openings between the crystals 42 arefilled with the crystals 52. As a result, a ceramic film with improvedsurface morphology can be formed.

(3) If the direction in which the crystals produced from the second rawmaterial liquid tend to be oriented differs from the direction in whichthe crystals produced from the first raw material liquid tend to beoriented, crystal growth of the crystals produced from one of the rawmaterial liquids is interrupted by the crystal growth of the othercrystals. Therefore, crystals in the resulting ceramic film can bemicrocrystallized. As a result, a ceramic film with improved surfacemorphology can be formed.

Modification

The following modifications are applicable to the second embodiment.

(1) A ceramic film may be formed by repeatedly performing the abovemanufacturing steps of a ceramic film two or more times. A ceramic filmmay be formed by combining the above manufacturing steps of a ceramicfilm and manufacturing steps of a ceramic film using a conventionalceramic raw material.

(2) As an example of a method for forming the raw material body on thebase by using the LSMCD method, the following method can be given. FIG.3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the apparatus 200 forforming the raw material body on the base by using the LSMCD method.

The first raw material liquid 210 is sent to the mesh 240 through theatomizer 230. The first raw material liquid 210 passing through the mesh240 forms the mist 250 and is supplied to the base 10. The second rawmaterial liquid 220 is sent to the mesh 240 through the atomizer 232.The second raw material liquid 220 passing through the mesh 240 formsthe mist 250 and is supplied to the base 10. The raw material body isformed by allowing the mist 250 to be repeatedly deposited on the base10. The diameter of droplets of the mist 250 is 10 to 200 nm, forexample.

The first raw material liquid 210 and the second raw material liquid 220may be supplied to the base 10 at the same time. The first raw materialliquid 210 and the second raw material liquid 220 may be alternatelysupplied.

In the case of supplying the first raw material liquid 210 and thesecond raw material liquid 220 to the base 10 at the same time, theresulting raw material body has a structure in which the first mistdroplets 210 a produced from the first raw material liquid 210 and thesecond mist droplets 220 a produced from the second raw material liquid220 are mixed, as shown in FIG. 4A, for example.

In the case of alternately supplying the first raw material liquid 210and the second raw material liquid 220, the resulting raw material bodymay have a structure in which each of the first mist droplets 210 aproduced from the first raw material liquid 210 and the second mistdroplets 220 a produced from the second raw material liquid 220 makes upone layer, as shown in FIG. 4B, for example. In other words, each layeris formed by the mist droplets produced from the same raw material.

In the case of alternately supplying the first raw material 210 and thesecond raw material 220, different crystal structures can be formed in asingle layer from the mist droplets produced from different rawmaterials by using the following method.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, after supplying the first mist droplets 210a produced from the first raw material liquid 210 to the base 10 so asto be dispersed on the base 10, the first mist droplets 210 a are heatedso that a solvent contained in the first mist droplets 210 a isevaporated. The first mist droplets 210 a are dispersed on the base 10at this stage.

The second mist droplets 220 a can be interposed between the first mistdroplets 210 a by supplying the second mist droplets 220 a produced fromthe second raw material liquid 220 in this state.

The first mist droplets 210 a and the second mist droplets 220 a arecrystallized by a thermal treatment, whereby the ceramic film 30 isformed. As shown in FIG. 13, the ceramic film 30 consists of the firstcrystals 42 produced from the first mist droplets 210 a and the secondcrystals 52 produced from the second mist droplets 220 a. This enables aceramic film in which at least first crystal phases are intermittentlyprovided in the surface direction of the ceramic film to be easilyobtained.

The second raw material liquid may be interposed between the first mistdroplets 210 a by applying the second raw material liquid by spincoating in a state in which the first mist droplets 210 a are dispersedon the base 10 instead of forming the second mist droplets 220 a. Thismethod also enables a ceramic film in which at least first crystalphases are intermittently provided in the surface direction of theceramic film to be easily obtained.

(3) In the case of using the combination of the raw materials describedin the second embodiment, solvents in which the raw materials aredissolved may have different polarities. In this case, since the rawmaterials are easily phase separated, crystals produced from thedifferent raw materials are easily intermittently formed in the surfacedirection of the ceramic film.

For example, one of the solvents may be soluble in water, and the othersolvent may be insoluble in water. As a solvent soluble in water,acetate, nitrate, and the like can be given. As a solvent insoluble inwater, butanol and the like can be given.

Third Embodiment

Second Ceramic Raw Material Liquid

A second ceramic raw material liquid is used by mixing a third rawmaterial liquid and a fourth raw material liquid. The second ceramic rawmaterial liquid may be a raw material liquid from which a ceramic filmis obtained by pyrolysis. The third raw material liquid and the fourthraw material liquid produce different types of materials. The third andfourth raw material liquids may be: 1) a liquid in which a metal organiccompound (metal alkoxide, metal carboxylate, for example) or a metalinorganic compound (metal nitrate, metal chloride, for example) isdissolved in a solvent (water, alcohol, ester, aliphatic hydrocarbon,aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ether, mixture of these, for example); 2)a liquid obtained by subjecting a metal compound to hydrolysis,condensation, and the like in a solvent; or 3) a sol-gel liquid obtainedby hydrolysis of a metal alkoxide.

The third raw material liquid and the fourth raw material liquid aredescribed below in detail.

The third raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing aPZT-type ferroelectric. As examples of PZT-type ferroelectrics,PbZrTiO-based ferroelectrics (PbZr_(y)Ti_(1-y)O₃, for example) andPbLaZrTiO-based ferroelectrics (Pb_(1-x)La_(x)Zr_(y)Ti_(1-y)O₃, forexample) can be given. The third raw material liquid contains metalelements which make up a ferroelectric. The amount of constituent metalelements for a ferroelectric contained in the third raw material liquidis determined taking into consideration the amount of the desiredferroelectric and the ratio of the number of atoms of constituent metalelements in the desired ferroelectric.

As examples of the third raw material liquid, taking a PbZrTiO-basedferroelectric as an example, a liquid in which lead acetate trihydrate,zirconium butoxide, and titanium isopropoxide are mixed in1-methoxy-2-propanol can be given. The amount of lead acetatetrihydrate, zirconium butoxide, and titanium isopropoxide is determinedtaking into consideration the ratio of the number of atoms of theconstituent metal elements in the desired ferroelectric and the amountof the desired ferroelectric.

The fourth raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing anABO-type oxide in which Pb is provided in the A site. If Pb is notprovided in the A site, an element other than Pb may be positioned atthe site of the PZT-type oxide at which Pb should be positioned, wherebythe characteristics of the ferroelectric film may be adversely affected.As examples of the ABO-type oxide in which Pb is provided in the A site,PbGeO-based oxides (Pb₅Ge₃O₁l), PbMoO-based oxides (Pb₂MoO₅), PbVO-basedoxides (Pb₂VO₅), PbCrO-based oxides (Pb₂CrO₅), PbSiO-based oxides(Pb₅Si₃O₁l), PbWO-based oxides (Pb₂WO₅), PbSnO-based oxides (PbSnO₃),and PbGeSiO-based oxides (Pb₅Ge₂SiO₁₁) can be given. These oxides may beused individually or in combination of two or more. The crystallizationtemperature of the crystals produced from the second raw material liquidcan be changed by changing an element in the B site of the ABO-typeoxide. The ABO-type oxide may be either a ferroelectric or aparaelectric. In the case of a paraelectric, an element in the B site ispreferably one of Ge, Si, and Sn, or combination of these elements.

As examples of the fourth raw material liquid, taking a PbGeO-basedoxide as an example, a liquid in which germanium ethoxide and leadbutoxide are mixed in 1-methoxy-2-propanol can be given. The amount ofgermanium ethoxide and lead butoxide is determined taking intoconsideration the ratio of the number of atoms of constituent metalelements in the desired oxide and the amount of the desired oxide.

The third raw material liquid and the fourth raw material liquid arepreferably mixed so that the molar ratio of the ferroelectric obtainedfrom the third raw material liquid to the ABO-type oxide obtained fromthe fourth raw material liquid is from 100:20 to 100:100.

Second Example of Manufacture of Ceramic Film

A method of manufacturing a ceramic film using the second ceramic rawmaterial liquid may be the method of manufacturing a ceramic film usingthe first ceramic raw material liquid.

Effect

Effects obtained by depositing a ceramic film using the ceramic rawmaterial liquid according to the third embodiment are described below.

(1) According to the ceramic raw material liquid according to thepresent embodiment, a ferroelectric film having specific characteristicscan be obtained at a sintering temperature lower than a sinteringtemperature necessary for providing the specific characteristics whenforming a ferroelectric film by sintering only the third raw materialliquid. In other words, according to the present embodiment, aferroelectric film having the desired characteristics can be formed at alower temperature.

(2) A material produced from the third raw material liquid differs froma material produced from the fourth raw material liquid. Therefore, acrystallization temperature at which the third raw material liquid iscrystallized differs from a crystallization temperature at which thefourth raw material liquid is crystallized, for example. As a result, aceramic film with improved surface morphology can be formed in the samemanner as in the second embodiment.

The modifications illustrated in the second embodiment are alsoapplicable to the third embodiment.

Fourth Embodiment

Third Ceramic Raw Material Liquid

A third ceramic raw material liquid is used by mixing a fifth rawmaterial liquid and a sixth raw material liquid. The fifth ceramic rawmaterial liquid may be a raw material liquid from which a ceramic filmis obtained by pyrolysis. The fifth raw material liquid and the sixthraw material liquid produce different types of materials. The fifth andsixth raw material liquids may be: 1) a liquid in which a metal organiccompound (metal alkoxide, metal carboxylate, for example) or a metalinorganic compound (metal nitrate, metal chloride, for example) isdissolved in a solvent (water, alcohol, ester, aliphatic hydrocarbon,aromatic hydrocarbon, ketone, ether, mixture of these, for example); 2)a liquid obtained by subjecting a metal compound to hydrolysis,condensation, and the like in a solvent; or 3) a sol-gel liquid obtainedby hydrolysis of a metal alkoxide.

The fifth raw material liquid and the sixth raw material liquid aredescribed below in more detail.

The fifth raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing aferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskite structure or aPZT-type ferroelectric. As a ferroelectric having a Bi-based layeredperovskite structure, ferroelectrics illustrated for the first ceramicraw material liquid can be given. As a PZT-type ferroelectric, PZT-typeferroelectrics illustrated for the first ceramic raw material liquid canbe given. As examples of the fifth raw material liquid, in the case of aferroelectric having a Bi-based layered perovskite structure, examplesillustrated for the first raw material liquid (second embodiment) can begiven. In the case of a PZT-type ferroelectric, examples illustrated forthe third raw material liquid (third embodiment) can be given.

The sixth raw material liquid is a raw material liquid for producing anAGeO-based oxide. An oxide in which Ge is provided in the B site has alow melting point of about 700° C., whereby the process temperature canbe decreased. As examples of an element in the A site of the AGeO-basedoxide, alkaline earth metals, rare earth elements (Ce, in particular),Zr, Sr, and Bi can be given. As examples of a ZrGeO-based oxide, ZrGeO₄can be given. As examples of an SrGeO-based oxide, Sr₅Ge₃O₁₁ can begiven. As examples of the sixth raw material liquid, in the case of aBiGeO-based oxide, examples illustrated for the second raw materialliquid (second embodiment) can be given. The AGeO-based oxide may beeither a paraelectric or a ferroelectric.

The fifth raw material liquid and the sixth raw material liquid arepreferably mixed so that the molar ratio of the ferroelectric obtainedfrom the fifth raw material liquid to the ABO-type oxide obtained fromthe sixth raw material liquid is from 100:20 to 100:100.

Third Example of Manufacture of Ceramic Film

The method of manufacturing a ceramic film using the third ceramic rawmaterial liquid may be the method of manufacturing a ceramic film usingthe first ceramic raw material liquid.

Effect

Effects obtained by depositing a ceramic film using the ceramic rawmaterial liquid according to the fourth embodiment are described below.

(1) According to the ceramic raw material liquid of the presentembodiment, a ferroelectric film having specific characteristics can beobtained at a sintering temperature lower than a sintering temperaturenecessary for providing the specific characteristics when forming aferroelectric film by sintering only the fifth raw material liquid. Inother words, according to the present embodiment, a ferroelectric filmhaving the desired characteristics can be formed at a lower temperature.

(2) A material produced from the fifth raw material liquid differs froma material produced from the sixth raw material liquid. Therefore, acrystallization temperature at which the fifth raw material liquid iscrystallized differs from a crystallization temperature at which thesixth raw material liquid is crystallized, for example. As a result, aceramic film with improved surface morphology can be formed in the samemanner as in the second embodiment.

(3) If the direction in which the crystals produced from the sixth rawmaterial liquid tend to be oriented differs from the direction in whichthe crystals produced from the fifth raw material liquid tend to beoriented, the crystal growth of the crystals produced from one of theraw material liquids is interrupted by the crystal growth of the othercrystals. Therefore, crystals in the resulting ceramic film can bemicrocrystallized. As a result, a ceramic film with improved surfacemorphology can be formed.

The modifications illustrated in the second embodiment are alsoapplicable to the fourth embodiment.

Fifth Embodiment

An example of the manufacture of a multilayer ceramic film according toa fifth embodiment is described below.

Example of Manufacture of First Multilayer Ceramic Film

An example of the manufacture of a first multilayer ceramic film isdescribed below. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showingthe manufacturing process for the first multilayer ceramic film.

A main liquid layer 312 for producing a ferroelectric is formed on thebase 10 by using a coating method, as shown in FIG. 5A. As the materialfor the main liquid layer 312, the first raw material liquid in thesecond embodiment and the third raw material liquid in the thirdembodiment can be given.

A secondary liquid layer 322 for producing either a ferroelectric or aparaelectric is formed on the main liquid layer 312. As the material forthe secondary liquid layer 322, a material having a crystallizationtemperature lower than that of the material for the main liquid layer312 is selected. In addition, a material from which an oxide having nolayered structure is produced after crystallization is selected as thematerial for the secondary liquid layer 322. The material for thesecondary liquid layer 322 differs depending upon the material for themain liquid layer 312. In the case where an SBT-type ferroelectric isformed by crystallizing the main liquid layer 312, the material for thesecondary liquid layer 322 is a BiGeO-based material, BiSiO-basedmaterial, or SrGeO-based material, for example.

The main liquid layer 312 and the secondary liquid layer 322 arecrystallized by performing a thermal treatment as shown in FIG. 5C,thereby forming a ceramic film 300 consisting of a main crystal layer310 and a secondary crystal layer 320.

According to this example of the manufacture of the first multilayerceramic film, the following effects are obtained.

As the material for the secondary liquid layer 322, a material having acrystallization temperature lower than that of the main liquid layer 312is selected. Therefore, the secondary liquid layer 322 is crystallizedbefore the main liquid layer 312 at an initial stage of crystallization,as shown in FIG. 5B. As a result, crystals produced in the secondaryliquid layer 322 function as seeds during the crystallization of themain liquid layer 312. Therefore, crystallization of the main liquidlayer 312 proceeds in the direction from the secondary liquid layer 322and from the base 10. This enables the grain size of crystals producedin the main liquid layer 312 to be decreased.

A material from which an oxide having no layered structure is producedafter crystallization is used as the material for the secondary liquidlayer 322. Therefore, crystals are isotropically grown in the secondaryliquid layer 322. As a result, a secondary crystal layer 320 with a flatsurface is formed, whereby the surface morphology of the ceramic film300 can be improved.

The ceramic film 300 consisting of the main crystal layer 310 and thesecondary crystal layers 320 and 330 may be formed by allowing asecondary liquid layer 332 to be interposed between the base 10 and themain liquid layer 312, as shown in FIG. 6A.

Example of Manufacture of Second Multilayer Ceramic Film

An example of the manufacture of a second multilayer ceramic film isdescribed below. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showingthe manufacturing process for the second multilayer ceramic film.

The example of the manufacture of the second multilayer ceramic filmdiffers from the example of the manufacture of the first multilayerceramic film in that a secondary liquid layer 422 is interposed betweenmain liquid layers 412 and 432.

Specifically, the main liquid layer 412, secondary liquid layer 422,main liquid layer 432, and secondary liquid layer 442 are layered on thebase 10 in that order. A ceramic film 400 consisting of main crystallayers 410 and 430 and secondary crystal layers 420 and 440 are formedby crystallizing these layers.

As the material for the secondary liquid layers 422 and 442, a materialhaving a crystallization temperature lower than that of the main liquidlayers 412 and 432 is selected in the same manner as in the example ofthe manufacture of the first multilayer ceramic film.

Crystals produced in the secondary liquid layer 422 function as astopper for preventing crystal growth in the main liquid layers 412 and432 by allowing the secondary liquid layer 422 to be interposed betweenthe main liquid layers 412 and 432. Therefore, the grain size ofcrystals in the main crystal layers 410 and 430 formed on opposite sidesof the secondary crystal layer 420 can be decreased.

Example of Manufacture of Third Multilayer Ceramic Film

An example of the manufacture of a third multilayer ceramic film isdescribed below. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showingthe manufacturing process for the third multilayer ceramic film.

The example of the manufacture of the third multilayer ceramic filmdiffers from the example of the manufacture of the first multilayerceramic film in that a material for a main liquid layer 512 has acrystallization temperature lower than that of the material for asecondary liquid layer 522.

As the material for the main liquid layer 512, the first raw materialliquid in the second embodiment and the third raw material liquid in thethird embodiment can be given. In the case where the material for themain liquid layer 512 produces a PZT-type ferroelectric, the materialfor the secondary liquid layer 522 may be a PbWO-based material or aPbMoO-based material.

A ceramic film with improved surface morphology can be formed bycrystallizing the main liquid layer 512 and the secondary liquid layer522. The reasons therefor are as follows. The material for the mainliquid layer 512 has a crystallization temperature lower than that ofthe material for the secondary liquid layer 522. Therefore,crystallization of the secondary liquid layer 522 proceeds after thecrystallization of the main liquid layer 512, whereby the crystalsproduced from the secondary liquid layer 522 are grown to cover a maincrystal layer 510 produced from the main liquid layer 512. Since thecrystals produced from the secondary liquid layer 522 do not have alayered structure, crystals produced from the secondary liquid layer 522are isotropically grown. Therefore, a secondary crystal layer 520 with aflat surface is formed. This decreases unevenness on the surface of aceramic film 500, whereby the surface morphology of the ceramic film 500can be improved.

In the above examples of the manufacture of the first to thirdmultilayer ceramic films, crystal grains produced from the main liquidlayer and crystal grains produced from the secondary liquid layer may bediffused into different crystal layers. Moreover, a constituent metalelement of the main liquid layer may be diffused into the secondaryliquid layer, or a constituent metal element of the secondary liquidlayer may be diffused into the main liquid layer. Therefore, there maybe a case where the interface between the main crystal layer producedfrom the main liquid layer and the secondary crystal layer produced fromthe secondary liquid layer is not distinguishable.

Generally, the crystallization temperature has a correlation with themelting point. Specifically, in the case where one of the crystals has acrystallization temperature higher than that of the other crystal, thecrystal having a higher crystallization temperature generally has amelting point higher than that of the other crystal.

Sixth Embodiment

Semiconductor Device

A semiconductor device to which a ceramic film obtained by using themethod of manufacturing a ceramic film of the present invention isapplied is described below. The present embodiment illustrates aferroelectric memory device as an example of the semiconductor device.FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a ferroelectricmemory device.

A ferroelectric memory device 5000 includes a CMOS region R1, and acapacitor region R2 formed on the CMOS region R1. The CMOS region R1includes a semiconductor substrate 1, an element isolation region 2 anda MOS transistor 3 which are formed on the semiconductor substrate 1,and an interlayer dielectric 4. The capacitor region R2 includes acapacitor C100 consisting of a lower electrode 5, a ferroelectric film6, and an upper electrode 7, an interconnect layer 8 a connected withthe lower electrode 5, an interconnect layer 8 b connected with theupper electrode 7, and an insulating layer 9. The ferroelectric film 6in the capacitor C100 is formed by using the method of manufacturing aceramic film of the present invention. An impurity diffusion layer 3 aof the MOS transistor 3 and the lower electrode 5 which makes up thecapacitor are connected by a contact layer 11 formed of polysilicon ortungsten.

Effects of the ferroelectric device are described below.

(1) When forming a ferroelectric film, the thickness of theferroelectric film must be increased in order to prevent occurrence of ashort circuit between the upper electrode and the lower electrode,taking into consideration formation of grooves or holes. A short circuitbetween the upper electrode and the lower electrode occurs considerablywhen the upper electrode is formed of an iridium-based material (Ir,IrO₂). However, in the present embodiment, the ferroelectric film 6 ofthe ferroelectric device 5000 is formed by using the method ofmanufacturing a ceramic film of the present invention. Therefore, theferroelectric film 6 has improved surface morphology. As a result, thethickness of the ferroelectric film 6 can be decreased to such an extentthat the surface morphology of the ferroelectric film 6 is improved.Therefore, according to the ferroelectric memory device 5000, a higherdegree of integration can be achieved. Moreover, since the crystals ofthe ferroelectric material and the crystals of the paraelectric materialare intermittently dispersed in the surface direction of the ceramicfilm as shown in FIG. 13, hysteresis characteristics with goodsquareness can be obtained. This increases the SN ratio of aferroelectric memory device in which this ceramic film is used as thecapacitor film, whereby an increase in speed can be achieved.

According to the present embodiment, the range of the thickness of theferroelectric film 6 for which an iridium-based material is used as thematerial for the upper electrode 7 can be increased. Specifically, thelower limit for the thickness of the ferroelectric film 6 for which aniridium-based material is used as the material for the upper electrode 7can be decreased.

An iridium-based material has an advantage of having superior hydrogenbarrier characteristics and fatigue characteristics in comparison withplatinum (Pt).

(2) If the ferroelectric film is etched in a state in which unevennessis formed on the surface of the ferroelectric film, the unevennessformed on the surface of the ferroelectric film is transferred to thesurface of the lower electrode, which is an underlay for theferroelectric film. This causes the surface morphology of the lowerelectrode to deteriorate. If the surface morphology of the lowerelectrode deteriorates, a contact failure may occur between theinterconnect layer to be connected to the lower electrode and the lowerelectrode.

However, the surface morphology of the ferroelectric film 6 is improvedin the present embodiment. Therefore, deterioration of the surfacemorphology of the lower electrode 5 after etching the ferroelectric film6 can be prevented. As a result, the interconnect layer 8 a can beelectrically connected to the lower electrode 9 reliably.

Modification

The ceramic film obtained by using the method of manufacturing a ceramicfilm of the present invention can be applied not only to theferroelectric memory, but also to various types of semiconductor devicessuch as a DRAM. Specifically, the ceramic film of the present inventionmay be applied to a dielectric film for a capacitor of a DRAM. In thiscase, the dielectric film maybe formed of a paraelectric having a highdielectric constant, such as BST, from the viewpoint of an increase incapacitance of the capacitors.

The ceramic film obtained by using the method of manufacturing a ceramicfilm of the present invention may be applied not only to semiconductordevices, but also to other applications such as a piezoelectric forpiezoelectric devices used for actuators.

The present invention is described below in more detail by examples. Thepresent invention is not limited to the following examples, and otherexamples are possible within the scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1

A main liquid was obtained as follows. 1100 ml of a toluene solution ofbismuth 2-ethylhexanoate at a concentration of 0.1 mol/l, 400 ml of atoluene solution of strontium 2-ethylhexanoate at a concentration of 0.1mol/l, 1000 ml of a toluene solution of tantalum ethoxide at aconcentration of 0.1 mol/l, and 100 g of 2-ethylhexanoic acid were mixedto prepare a mixed liquid. After refluxing the mixture while heating at120° C. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere, the solvent wasevaporated at atmospheric pressure. Toluene was added to the mixture sothat the oxide concentration as Sr_(0.8)Bi_(2.2)Ta₂O_(X) (SBT) was 0.1mol/l to obtain a main liquid.

A secondary liquid was obtained as follows. 2000 ml of a toluenesolution of bismuth 2-ethylhexanoate at a concentration of 0.1 mol/l,1500 ml of a toluene solution of germanium ethoxide at a concentrationof 0.1 mol/l, and 100 g of 2-ethylhexanoic acid were mixed. Afterrefluxing the mixture while heating at 120° C. for one hour in anitrogen atmosphere, the solvent was evaporated at atmospheric pressure.Toluene was added to the mixture so that the oxide concentration asBi₄Ge₃O₁₂ was 0.1 mol/l to obtain a secondary liquid.

The main liquid and the secondary liquid thus obtained were mixed toobtain seven types of mixed liquids with different volume mixing ratios.The volume mixing ratios of the main liquid to the secondary liquid were100:1, 100:10, 100:20, 100:50, 100:100, 100:150, and 100:200.

Ferroelectric films were formed from each of these seven types of mixedliquids and a solution containing only the main liquid.

The deposition method is shown in FIG. 9. A series of steps consistingof a pretreatment heating step, a solution coating step, a dry thermaltreatment step, a pyrolizing step, and a calcining step was performedtwo times. The calcined product was sintered to form a film. Specificconditions are given below. The pretreatment heating step was performedat 180° C. for 30 seconds. The mixed liquid was applied for 30 secondsusing a spin coater (2100 rpm). The dry thermal treatment step wasperformed at 160° C. for one minute in a nitrogen atmosphere. Thepyrolizing step was performed at 260° C. for four minutes in a nitrogenatmosphere. Calcining was performed for 30 seconds in an oxygenatmosphere. The calcining temperature is shown in Table 1. Sintering wasperformed for 60 minutes in an oxygen atmosphere. The sinteringtemperature is shown in Table 1. The thickness of the deposited film was50 nm.

The Pr (remanent polarization) of each ferroelectric film was measured.The measurement results for the Pr are shown in Table 1. The unit for Pris μC/cm². TABLE 1 Volume mixing ratio (Main liquid: Sinteringtemperature secondary liquid) 400° C. 450° C. 500° C. 600° C. 700° C.Only main liquid ND ND ND ND 8 100:1 ND ND ND ND 9 100:10 ND 1 2 3 8100:20 ND 3 7 9 9 100:50 ND 5 8 8 9 100:100 ND 3 7 9 8 100:150 ND 3 2 35 100:200 ND 2 3 3 4ND: Not detectable

When manufacturing a ferroelectric memory device in which theferroelectric is SBT, it is difficult to manufacture a ferroelectricmemory device with a certain degree of integration if the sinteringtemperature is more than 600° C. In a ferroelectric memory device, thePr of the ferroelectric capacitor is preferably 7 or more. In Table 12,the volume mixing ratio (main liquid:secondary liquid) at which a Pr of7 or more was obtained at a sintering temperature of 600° C. or less isbetween 100:20 and 100:100. Therefore, the volume mixing ratio of themain liquid to the secondary liquid is preferably in the range from100:20 to 100:100.

The main liquid was prepared so that 0.1 mol of Sr_(0.8)Bi_(2.2)Ta₂O_(X)was produced per liter of the main liquid. The secondary liquid wasprepared so that 0.1 mol of Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ was produced per liter of thesecondary liquid. Therefore, the volume mixing ratio of the main liquidto the secondary liquid shows the molar ratio ofSr_(0.8)Bi_(2.2)Ta₂O_(X) produced from the main liquid to Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂produced from the secondary liquid. Therefore, the main liquid and thesecondary liquid are preferably mixed so that the molar ratio ofSr_(0.8)Bi_(2.2)Ta₂O_(X) produced from the main liquid to Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂produced from the secondary liquid is from 100:20 to 100:100.

In the case of a solution containing only the main liquid, specificcharacteristics relating to the Pr were not obtained at a sinteringtemperature of less than 700° C. On the contrary, in the case of mixingthe secondary liquid with the main liquid, specific characteristicsrelating to the Pr were obtained even at a sintering temperature ofabout 500° C. This shows that the process temperature can be decreasedby depositing a ferroelectric film by mixing the secondary liquid withthe main liquid.

EXAMPLE 2

A main liquid was obtained as follows. 85.3 g of titanium isopropoxideand 139.2 g of bismuth butoxide were added to 1000 ml of2-methoxyethanol. After refluxing the mixture while heating at 125° C.for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere, the mixture was cooled to roomtemperature. After the addition of 23.7 g of lanthanum isopropoxide, themixture was stirred at room temperature for two hours. After theaddition of 1.3 g of water, the mixture was stirred at room temperaturefor one hour. 2-Methoxyethanol was added to the mixture so that theoxide concentration as Bi_(3.25)La_(0.75)Ti₃O₁₂ was 0.07 mol/l to obtaina main liquid.

A secondary liquid was obtained as follows. 75.9 g of germanium ethoxideand 171.3 g of bismuth butoxide were added to 1000 ml of2-methoxyethanol. After refluxing the mixture while heating at 125° C.for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere, the mixture was cooled to roomtemperature. After the addition of 1.3 g of water, the mixture wasstirred at room temperature for one hour. 2-Methoxyethanol was added tothe mixture so that the oxide concentration as Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ was 0.07 mol/lto obtain a secondary liquid.

The main liquid and the secondary liquid thus obtained were mixed toobtain seven types of mixed liquids with different mixing ratios. Themixing ratios of the main liquid to the secondary liquid were 100:1,100:10, 100:20, 100:50, 100:100, 100:150, and 100:200.

Ferroelectric films were formed from each of these seven types of mixedliquids and a solution containing only the main liquid. The depositionmethod was the same as in Example 1.

In Example 2, the same tendency as in Example 1 was observed relating tothe Pr.

EXAMPLE 3

A main liquid was obtained as follows. 81.2 g of tantalum ethoxide and170 g of 2-ethylhexanoic acid were added to 100 ml of xylene. After theaddition of 20.6 g strontium isopropoxide, the mixture was stirred at120° C. for two hours. Xylene, the resulting alcohols, and excess2-ethylhexanoic acid were evaporated at 180° C. under atmosphericpressure. 200 ml of a xylene solution of bismuth 2-ethylhexanoate at aconcentration of 1.0 mol/l was added to the mixture. Xylene was added tothe mixture so that the oxide concentration as SrBi₂Ta₂O_(X) was 0.2mol/l. Then, butyl acetate was added to the mixture so that the oxideconcentration as SrBi₂Ta₂O_(x) was 0.1 mol/l to obtain a main liquid.

A secondary liquid was obtained as follows. 500 ml of a xylene solutionof tungsten ethoxide at a concentration of 0.1 mol/l and 100 g of2-ethylhexanoic acid were mixed with 1000 ml of a xylene solution ofbismuth 2-ethylhexanoate at a concentration of 0.1 mol/l. Afterrefluxing the mixture while heating at 120° C. for one hour in anitrogen atmosphere, the solvent was evaporated at atmospheric pressure.Xylene was added to the mixture so that the oxide concentration asBi₂WO₆ was 0.1 mol/l to obtain a secondary liquid.

The main liquid and the secondary liquid thus obtained were mixed toobtain seven types of mixed liquids with different volume mixing ratios.The volume mixing ratios of the main liquid to the secondary liquid were100:1, 100:10, 100:20, 100:50, 100:100, 100:150, and 100:200.

Ferroelectric films were formed from each of these seven types of mixedliquids and a solution containing only the main liquid. The depositionmethod was the same as in Example 1.

In Example 3, the same tendency as in Example 1 was observed relating tothe Pr.

EXAMPLE 4

A main liquid was obtained as follows. 37.93 g of lead acetatetrihydrate, 19.95 g of zirconium butoxide, and 13.64 g of titaniumisopropoxide were added to 100 ml of 1-methoxy-2-propanol. The mixturewas refluxed while heating at 120° C. for one hour in a nitrogenatmosphere. After the addition of 4.5 g of acetylacetone and 1.1 g ofwater, the solvent was evaporated at atmospheric pressure.1-Methoxy-2-propanol was added to the mixture so that the oxideconcentration as Pb(Zr_(0.52)Ti0.48)O₃ was 0.3 mol/l to obtain a mainliquid.

A secondary liquid was obtained as follows. 200 ml of a1-methoxy-2-propanol solution of germanium ethoxide at a concentrationof 0.5 mol/l and 250 ml of a 1-methoxy-2-propanol solution of leadbutoxide at a concentration of 0.5 mol/l were mixed. After refluxing themixture while heating at 120° C. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere,the mixture was cooled to room temperature. After the addition of 4.1 gof acetylacetone and 1.0 g of water, the solvent was evaporated atatmospheric pressure. 1-Methoxy-2-propanol was added to the mixture sothat the oxide concentration as Pb₅Ge₃O₁₂ was 0.15 mol/l to obtain asecondary liquid.

The main liquid and the secondary liquid thus obtained were mixed toobtain seven types of mixed liquids with different volume mixing ratios.The volume mixing ratios of the main liquid to the secondary liquid were100:1, 100:10, 100:20, 100:50, 100:100, 100:150, and 100:200.

Ferroelectric films were formed from each of these seven types of mixedliquids and a solution containing only the main liquid. The depositionmethod was the same as in Example 1.

In Example 4, the same tendency as in Example 1 was observed relating tothe Pr.

Experimental Example Relating to Surface Morphology

Experimental results for surface morphology are described below.

FIG. 10 is a micrograph of the ferroelectric film obtained from themixed liquid of the main liquid and the secondary liquid according toExample 1. FIG. 11 is a micrograph of a ferroelectric film according toa comparative example.

The ferroelectric film according to Example 1 shown in FIG. 10 is aferroelectric film in which the volume mixing ratio of the main liquidto the secondary liquid is 100:100. The ferroelectric film according tothe comparative example was obtained by depositing a solution containingonly the main liquid illustrated in Example 1 using the depositionmethod of Example 1. The thickness of the ferroelectric films was 50 nmin both Examples and comparative example.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the surface morphology of the ferroelectricfilm according to Example was significantly improved in comparison withthe ferroelectric film according to the comparative example.

Various modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible within the scope of the above embodiments.

1-37. (canceled)
 38. A ferroelectric ceramic film, comprising: a stackin which a first crystal layer and a second crystal layer aresequentially layered, the second crystal layer having a melting pointlower than a melting point of the first crystal layer, the first crystallayer having a PZT-based perovskite structure, and the second crystallayer having ABO-type oxides in which Pb is provided in an A-site.
 39. Aferroelectric ceramic film, comprising: a crystal stack in which a firstcrystal layer, a second crystal layer, and a third crystal layer aresequentially layered, the second crystal layer having a melting pointlower than melting points of the first crystal layer and the thirdcrystal layer, the first crystal layer having a PZT-based perovskitestructure, and the second crystal layer having ABO-type oxides in whichPb is provided in an A-site.
 40. A ferroelectric ceramic film,comprising: a stack in which a first crystal layer and a second crystallayer are sequentially layered, the second crystal layer having amelting point higher than a melting point of the first crystal layer,the first crystal layer having a PZT-based perovskite structure, and thesecond crystal layer having ABO-type oxides in which Pb is provided inan A-site.
 41. A ferroelectric ceramic film, comprising: a stack inwhich a first crystal layer and a second crystal layer are sequentiallylayered, the second crystal layer having a melting point lower than amelting point of the first crystal layer, the first crystal layer havinga PZT-based perovskite structure, and the second crystal layer havingABO-type oxides in which Si is provided in a B-site.
 42. A ferroelectricceramic film, comprising: a crystal stack in which a first crystallayer, a second crystal layer, and a third crystal layer aresequentially layered, the second crystal layer having a melting pointlower than melting points of the first crystal layer and the thirdcrystal layer, the first crystal layer having a PZT-based perovskitestructure, and the second crystal layer having ABO-type oxides in whichSi or Ge is provided in a B-site.
 43. A ferroelectric ceramic film,comprising: a stack in which a first crystal layer and a second crystallayer are sequentially layered, the second crystal layer having amelting point higher than a melting point of the first crystal layer,the first crystal layer having a PZT-based perovskite structure, and thesecond crystal layer having ABO-type oxides in which Si or Ge isprovided in a B-site.
 44. The ferroelectric ceramic film as defined inclaim 38, a constituent metal element of the first crystal layer and aconstituent metal element of the second crystal layer being mixed in aninterface region between the first crystal layer and the second crystallayer.
 45. The ferroelectric ceramic film as defined in claim 38, thefirst crystal layer being formed on a base with a third crystal layerinterposed therebetween, and the third crystal layer having a meltingpoint lower than a melting point of the first crystal layer.